Amid the backdrop of various reports of a potential diplomatic breakthrough between Israel and Saudi Arabia during US President Joe Biden's visit to the region, the Wall Street Journal on Thursday reported that Israel and Arab countries that are not a part of the Abraham Accords have already signed security agreements.
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One historic diplomatic breakthrough was already achieved on Friday, as Saudi Arabia, without explicitly mentioning Israel, opened its airspace to "all air carriers," signaling the end of its longstanding ban on Israeli flights overflying its territory.
According to the report, which was based on a "person familiar with the matter," Defense Minister Benny Gantz presented Biden with a list of clandestine defense agreements Israel has with Arab countries in the region, including those with which it does not have official diplomatic ties.
The report also noted that talks to establish a joint regional air defense alliance between Israel and some Arab countries have slowed recently, amid concerns from some of the Arab nations involved.
Biden administration officials told the newspaper that the United States would assist Israel in developing a laser-based air defense system.
Last Thursday, Gantz revealed that in the period since the signing of the Abraham Accords some two years ago, there have been more than 150 meetings between Israeli defense officials with their counterparts across the Middle East, not including Jordan and Egypt, in which Israeli weapons have been sold to moderate Sunni Arab countries for over $3 billion.
Gantz was speaking to military reporters ahead of Biden's visit.
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